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S.  B.  A. — B.  S.  9.  Issued  May  20,  1916. 

U.  S.  DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

BUREAU  OF  BIOLOGICAL  SURVEY, 

Henkv  W.  Henshaw,  Chief  of  Bureau. 


SERVICE  AND  REGULATORY  ANNOUNCEMENTS. 


PROPOSED  REGULATIONS  FOR  THE  PROTECTION  OF  MIGRATORY 

BIRDS. 

Washington,  D.  C  May  IS,  1916. 

Pursuant  to  the  provisions  of  the  act  of  March  4,  1913,  authorizing 
and  directing  the  Department  of  Agriculture  to  adopt  suitable  regu- 
lations prescribing  and  fixing  closed  seasons  for  migratory  birds  (37 
Stat..  847).  regulations,  copy  of  which  is  hereto  annexed,  have  been 
prepared,  are  hereby  made  public,  and  are  hereby  proposed  for 
adoption,  after  allowing  a  period  of  three  months  in  which  the  same 
may  be  examined  and  considered.  The  regulations,  as  finally 
adopted,  will  becomejeffective  on  or  after -August  16,  1916,  whenever 
approved  H  the  Pre^fti^^  ^" 

Public  hearings  on  the  proposed  regulations  will  be  held  by  the 

Bureau  of  Biolagicalr»Su*,vey  of"  this  cjepapment  whenever  deemed 

necessary.     Inquiries  in  reference  thereto  sjiould  be  addressed  to  the 

Secretary  of.  AgTicultuxe - 

_Jj£OEPOSITORY |     D_  F_  HotJSTON) 

Secretary  of  Agriculture. 

REGULATIONS  FOR  THE  PROTECTION  OF  MIGRATORY  BIRDS. 

Pursuant  to  the  provisions  of  the  act  of  March  -k  1913.  authorizing 
and  directing  the  Department  of  Agriculture  to  adopt  suitable 
regulations  prescribing  and  fixing  closed  seasons  for  migratory  birds 
(37  Stat.,  817),  having  due  regard  to  zones  of  temperature,  breeding 
habits,  and  times  and  lines  of  migratory  flight,  the  Department  of 
Agriculture  has  prepared  and  hereby  makes  public,  for  examination 
and  consideration  before  final  adoption,  the  following  regulations: 

REGULATION   1.— DEFINITIONS. 

For  the  purposes  of  these  regulations  the  following  shall  be  con- 
sidered migratory  game  birds: 

(a)  Anatida?  or  waterfowl,  including  brant,  wild  ducks,  geese,  and 

swans. 

42353°— 16 


2  BUREAU    OF    BIOLOGICAL   SURVEY. 

b)   Gruidae  or  cranes,  including  little  brown,  sandhill,  and  whoop- 
ing cranes. 

•  c)  Rallidae  or  rails,  including  coots,  gallinules,  and  sora  and  other 
rails. 

(d)  Limicolse  or  shore  birds,  including  avocets,  curleAv.  dowitch- 
ers,  godwits,  knots,  oyster  catchers,  phalaropes,  plover,  sandpipers, 
snipe,  stilts,  surf  birds,  turnstones.  willet,  woodcock,  and  yellowlegs. 

(<  )   Columbida?  or  pigeons,  including  doves  and  wild  pigeons. 

For  the  purposes  of  these  regulations  the  following  shall  be  con- 
sidered migratory  insectivorous  birds: 

(/)  Bobolinks,  catbird--,  chickadees,  cuckoos,  flickers,  flycatchers, 
grosbeaks,  hummingbirds,  kinglets,  martins,,  meadowlarks,  night- 
hawks  or  bull  bats,  nuthatches,  orioles,  robins,  shrikes,  swallows, 
swifts,  tanagers,  titmice,  thrushes,  vireos.  warblers,  waxwings,  whip- 
poorwills.  woodpeckers,  and  wrens,  and  all  other  perching  birds' 
which  feed  entirely  or  chiefly  on  insects. 

REGULATION  2.— CLOSED  SEASON  AT  NIGHT. 

A  daily  closed  season  on  all  migratory  game  and  insectivorous 
birds  shall  extend  from  sunset  to  sunrise. 

REGULATION   3.— CLOSED    SEASON    ON   INSECTIVOROUS   BIRDS. 

A  closed  season  on  migratory  insectivorous  birds  shall  continue 
throughout  each  year,  except  that  the  closed  season  on  reedbirds  or 
ricebirds  in  New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania,  Delaware.  Maryland,  the 
District  of  Columbia,  Virginia,  North  Carolina,  and  South  Carolina 
shall  commence  November  1  and  end  August  31,  next  following,  both 
dales  inclusive:  Provided,  That  nothing  in  this  or  any  other  of  these 
regulations  shall  be  construed  to  prevent  the  issue  of  permits  for 
collecting  birds  for  scientific  purposes  in  accordance  with  the  laws 
and  regulations  in  force  in  the  respective  States  and  Territories  and 
the  District  of  Columbia. 

REGULATION   4.— CLOSED   SEASONS   ON    CERTAIN   GAME   BIRDS. 

A  closed  season  shall  continue  until  September  1,  1918,  on  the  fol- 
lowing migratory  game  birds :  Band-tailed  pigeons,  little  brown. 
sandhill,  and  whooping  cranes,  wood  ducks,  swans,  curlew,  willet. 
and  all  shore  birds  except  the  black-breasted  and  golden  plover, 
Wilson  snipe  or  jacksnipe,  woodcock,  and  the  greater  and  lesser 
yellow  legs. 

A  closed  season  shall  also  continue  until  September  1.  1918,  on 
rails  in  California  and  Vermont  and  on  woodcock  in  Illinois  and 
Missouri. 


SERVICE    AND    REGULATORS    ANNOUNCEMENTS.  3 

REGULATION   5.— ZONES. 

The  following  zones  for  the  protection  of  migratory  game  and 
insectivorous  birds  are  hereby  established. 

Zoru  No,  J.  the  breeding  zone  comprising  the  States  of  Maine. 
New  Hampshire.  Vermont.  Massachusetts,  Rhode  Island.  Connecti- 
cut, New  York.  New  Jersey.  Pennsylvania.  Ohio,  Indiana.  Illinois, 
Kentucky.  West  Virginia.  Michigan,  Wisconsin,  Minnesota.  Iowa, 
North  Dakota.  South  Dakota,  Nebraska,  Kansas,  Missouri,  Colorado, 
Wyoming.  Montana,  Idaho.  Utah.  Nevada,  Oregon,  and  Washing- 
ton— 31  States. 

Zone  Xo.  2,  the  wintering  zone  comprising  the  States  of  Delaware. 
Maryland,  District  of  Columbia.  Virginia.  Xorth  Carolina,  South 
Carolina.  Georgia.  Florida.  Alabama.  Mississippi,  Tennessee.  Ar- 
kansas, Louisiana.  Texas,  Oklahoma.  New  Mexico,  Arizona,  and 
California — 17  States  and  the  District  of  Columbia. 

REGULATION   6.— CONSTRUCTION. 

For  the  purposes  of  regulations  7  and  8  each  period  of  time  therein 
prescribed  as  a  closed  season  shall  be  construed  to  include  the  first 
and  last  day  thereof. 

REGULATION  7.— CLOSED  SEASONS  IN  ZONE  NO.  1. 

Waterfoivl. — The  closed  season  on  waterfowl,  including  coots  and 
gallinules,  shall  be  between  December  21  and  September  6  next  fol- 
lowing, except  as  follows: 

Exceptions:  In  Maine,  New  Hampshire,  Vermont,  New  York  (except 
Long  Island).  Ohio.  Michigan,  Indiana.  Kentucky,  and  West  Virginia  the 
closed  season  shall  be  between  January  1  and  September  15; 

In  Massachusetts,  Rhode  Island.  Connecticut,  Long  Island.  New  Jersey. 
Pennsylvania.  Washington,  Oregon,  Utah,  and  Nevada  the  closed  season 
shall  be  between  January  16  and  September  30 ;  and 

In  Illinois,  Iowa,  Nebraska.  Kansas,  and  Missouri  the  closed  season  shall 
be  between  March  11  and  September  15  and  between  November  16  and 
February  9. 

Rails. — The  closed  season  on  sora  and  other  rails,  excluding  coots 
and  gallinules,  shall  be  between  December  1  and  August  31  next 
following,  except  as  follows: 

Exception  :  In  Vermont  the  closed  season  shall  continue  until  the  open 
season  in  1918. 

Shore  birds. — The  closed  season  on  black-breasted  and  golden 
plover  and  greater  and  lesser  yellowlegs  shall  be  between  December  1 
and  August  15  next  following,  except  as  follows: 

Exception:  In  Utah  the  closed  season  shall  continue  until  the  open 
season  in  1918. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  FLORIDA 

liiiiiiL 

3  1262  09218  5437 


4  BUREAU    OF   BIOLOGICAL    SURVEY. 

Jacksnipe. — The  closed  season  on  jacksnipe  or  Wilson  snipe  shall 
be  between  December  16  and  Sepetmber  15  next  following. 

Woodcock. — The  closed  season  on  woodcock  shall  be  between  De- 
cember 1  and  September  30  next  following,  except  as  follows: 

Exceptions:  In  Illinois  and  Missouri  the  dosed  season  shall  continue 
until  the  open  season  in  1918. 

REGULATION  8.— CLOSED  SEASONS  IN  ZONE  NO.  2. 

Waterfowl. — The  closed  season  on  waterfowl,  including  coots  and 
gallinules,  shall  be  between  February  1  and  October  11  next  fol- 
lowing, except  as  follows: 

Exceptions:  In  Alabama,  Arkansas.  District  of  Columbia,  Delaware, 
Florida,  Georgia,  Louisiana.  Maryland,  Mississippi,  North  Carolina,  South 
Carolina,  Tennessee,  and  Virginia  the  closed  season  shall  be  between  Feb- 
ruary 1  and  October  31  next  following. 

Bails. — The  closed  season  on  sora  and  other  rails,  excluding  coots 
and  gallinules.  shall  be  between  December  1  and  August  31  next  fol- 
lowing, except  as  follows: 

Exceptions:  In  Louisiana  the  closed  season  shall  be  between  February  1 
and  October  31  :  and 

In  California  the  closed  season  shall  continue  until  the  open  season  in 
1918. 
Shorebirds. — The    closed    season    on    black-breasted    and    golden 
plover  and  greater  or  lesser  yellowlegs  shall  be  between  December  1 
and  August  15  next  following. 

Jacksnipe. — The  closed  season  on  jacksnipe  or  Wilson  snipe  shall 
be  between  February  1  and  October  31  next  following. 

Woodcock. — The  closed  season  on  woodcock  shall  be  between  Jan- 
nary  1  and  October  31  next  following. 

REGULATION   9.— HEARINGS. 

Persons  recommending  changes  in  the  regulations  or  desiring  to 
submit  evidence  in  person  or  by  attorney  ns  to  the  necessity  for  such 
changes  should  make  application  to  the  Secretary  of  Agriculture. 
Hearings  will  be  arranged  and  due  notice  thereof  given  by  publica- 
tion or  otherwise  as  may  be  deemed  appropriate.  Persons  recom- 
mending changes  should  be  prepared  to  show  the  necessity  for  such 
action  and  to  submit  evidence  other  than  that  based  on  reasons  of 
persona]  convenience  or  a  desire  to  kill  game  during  a  longer  open 
season. 


WARHINOTO?        GOVERN  MKNT  PR  IN  TIN*:  OFFICE  :    191(3 


